Trump’s Id

We overheard this conversation at a recent meeting of the Philadelphia Institute of Psychoanalytic Research and Practice [PIPRP].

Dr. Donna Goldstone: Have you watched a Trump speech, I mean from beginning to end?Dr. Newton Gilbert: Good God, I’m not sure I could tolerate the spectacle.

Dr. Goldstone: Well I recommend it and here’s why.Dr. Newton: I’m listening.

Dr. Goldstone: Notice the introspective, self-reflective style of Trump’s narrative. It’s as if he’s reporting his impulses as they emerge.Dr. Newton: Go on.

Dr. Goldstone: And though he has a serious narcissistic disorder – or maybe because of it – he allows his flaws and self-doubts to leak out. In other words, there’s humility in his hubris.Dr. Newton: Is that part of his appeal?

Dr. Goldstone: Exactly, his vulnerability plus his aggressiveness create empathy.Dr. Newton: So when he brags about how rich he is, his supporters are elevated from despair and hopelessness to elation. Are you saying he creates a manic paradigm?

Dr. Goldstone: From social outrage to purge.Dr. Newton: Isn’t this true of all demagogues?

Dr. Goldstone: His haughty, Mussolini-like body language and gestures and his fuck you attitude are complemented by his underlying sad little boy affect.Dr. Newton: A masterful personification of the disillusioned electorate….Hey, we’d better go, the transference workshop is about to start.

Dr. Goldstone: Not going. Too wiped out. See you at dinner.Dr. Newton: Should we do Bernie next?